


Balancing Act

by the_technicolor_whiscash



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: First Kiss, Near Sex Experience, Other, amongst other things, gender unspecified Eivor, minor spoilers for end of cent arc, takes place just before essexe arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:20:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28890498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_technicolor_whiscash/pseuds/the_technicolor_whiscash
Summary: While Sigurd is missing in action, Eivor is left in control of the settlement. Though they're a good leader, they don't always want to lead. In an effort to get their mind off things, Eivor heads to Essexe, where they're met by a few things they didn't expect.
Relationships: Eivor/Basim Ibn Ishaq
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	Balancing Act

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah I see Eivor as genderfluid cause we're gay in this house so anyway I tried to make Eivor's gender as unspecified as possible so you can picture whatever you like. Apologies if I slipped up anywhere, it is like one am and I only wrote this cause I do be horny for Basim. I love Eivor too but Basim is Basim

Eivor was a lone wolf in every sense of the word. They preferred to work alone whenever possible, because sometimes, the only person you can trust is yourself. That didn’t mean they didn’t like the settlement. They loved the settlement, and the people on it, and the wonderful little home they had created in this strange, foreign land. But Eivor could never stay in one place for very long. So they would leave, for weeks or months at a time, to do what needed to be done. 

They always came back, though. Eivor realized one day that they did more work around the settlement than Sigurd ever did. Though Sigurd was a powerful man and a respected leader, he was never there. Eivor wondered if Sigurd even knew the names of some of the newer settlers like Rowan and Yanli. A good Jarl should know their people. They should know the happenings of the settlement, and the conflicts, and who does what. Eivor knew all of that. Sigurd didn’t. 

It confused Eivor, the way people like Dag seemed so opposed to Eivor’s rule in Sigurd’s place. They were by all means qualified. But Dag, he was never one to really respect what he had been told. And that had gotten him an early grave. 

Now, Sigurd had been captured by the madwoman Fulke, and Eivor had more responsibility than ever. Tensions were high, especially with Dag causing the people to be more riled-up. Eivor had to get Sigurd back, and keep the settlement held together, all while having to deal with what had happened between them and Randvi… it was a lot to handle. So they went to work. Or, they wanted to. Until more information was found about Sigurd’s location, they’d have to just wait. Wait until Basim came back with news, or something happened. 

Eivor was never one for waiting, so they slipped away one night, headed for Essexe. It wasn’t hard; the Hidden Ones had taught them how to be properly stealthy, and fortunately nearly nobody was ever awake late at night. It was just easier to leave this way, and they probably wouldn’t be gone for too long anyway.

They rode well into the night, stopping about halfway there to get some rest. As they set up camp and lit a small fire, they heard the sound of twigs breaking. Grabbing their axe, Eivor climbed into a tree overlooking the fire and waited. 

What came out of the woods was a Zealot, instantly recognizable by their wretched helmet. Eivor gripped the axe tighter. Perhaps they’d go away in time. But after a few minutes of the Zealot stomping around, poking bushes with their spear, they began to look up into the trees. And that was when Eivor had to strike. They jumped down, axe in hand, landing square on top of the Zealot, leaving a deep gash in their shoulder. The Zealot yelled, taking a step back before ramming their spear forward, narrowly missing Eivor’s torso. Eivor tried to break the spear, but it must’ve been reinforced by metal, as their axe bounced right off it. Instead, after dodging another blow, Eivor rolled behind them, managing to land another blow in the small of their back. 

The Zealot was not one to give up easily, thrusting the spear backwards and landing a hit square in Eivor’s gut. They stumbled back, nearly losing their balance over a fallen log. Thinking quickly, Eivor grabbed a branch off the log and swung it into the fire, igniting it in an impromptu torch. 

“Ha! Think you can take me down while you’re on fire?” Eivor taunted. 

Regretfully, the Zealot did. They charged at Eivor, thrusting their spear again and again, eventually landing a nasty gash on Eivor’s arm. Eivor swung their torch, causing the Zealot to go up in flame. They tried to hit Eivor with the spear again, but Eivor was able to fight without the distraction of being on fire. 

Rolling to put out the fire, the Zealot was clearly on their last legs. They used their spear to prop themselves up, clothing now charred and falling to pieces, their armor making harsh metallic sounds as it rubbed against itself. Eivor readied their axe, prepared to make a final blow. 

Then, the Zealot threw an explosive, sending Eivor flying. They landed on their back, the wind knocked out of them and their axe launched somewhere off to the side. The Zealot stood above them, a foot on their chest, spear poised over their heart. 

“Prepare to meet your gods.” The Zealot said. They readied their spear, prepared to strike. Eivor wanted to close their eyes, but there was no use to it now. At least they could see the beast who killed them, unlike disease or age. 

The Zealot froze. They dropped their spear to the ground and brought a hand to their chest. “No,” They muttered, as blood began to drip from their helmet, “I was not finished…”

“You are now.” A familiar voice spoke from behind the Zealot’s large form. “May you find peace wherever you end up.”

With that, the Zealot fell to the ground dead. Eivor breathed heavily. That was too close of a brush with death. Standing over them, their savior offered a hand. Basim. 

“Thank you for that.” Eivor said, taking his hand and pulling themself back onto their feet. “I don’t think I could’ve handled that death-bringer by myself.” 

“Of course. You’re lucky I found you then, else I might have just found your corpse.”

Eivor nodded. “Indeed. Though, tell me, friend, why are you all the way out here in the middle of the night?”

“I prefer to travel by night. I’ve been on my way back to the settlement.” Basim clearly saw Eivor’s raised eyebrow and shook his head. “No news of Sigurd, I’m afraid. It was simply that I had found some old papers from a former bureau in Lunden, and I had hoped he might be able to decipher them.”

“I see. So you’ve really found nothing at all about Sigurd?” 

“I’m working on a lead, trying to figure out if it’s the right way to go. Fulke may be obsessed with her goal, but she is not without strategy. I have no doubt she will try to throw us down the wrong path before our journey is over.”

“I’ll kill her.”

“Do not forget, we will still need her to find Sigurd. After your brother is located, then you can exert whatever revenge you see fit.”

Basim was right, of course. Eivor had been running into this whole thing blade-first, but their mission was not to kill Fulke. It was to find Sigurd alive, no matter what. Eivor picked up their axe and slid it back into their belt before sitting down heavily beside the fire. “I feel as if there’s a thousand eyes on me now. My past has always made me an outsider, but now, if I don’t get Sigurd back, I fear the people will want me exiled.”

Sitting across from them, Basim stared into the fire. He looked magical, almost, the way the light from the flames illuminated his face, flickering through his beard, painting the lines of his skin. “The people of your settlement like you, Eivor. Maybe even more than they like Sigurd. Sigurd is a presence, certainly. He’s just as large and loud as many of your Dane counterparts.” That evicted a smile from Eivor. “You, on the other hand, are better with individual problems. It’s why you’d make for a better Hidden One than Sigurd. But, because you prefer to act on a smaller scale, it can be difficult to quickly see results. When you two work together, it balances out.”

It was clear that Basim had thought about this quite a bit. It was odd, how the Hidden One had seemed so fascinated in the lives of people so unlike himself. But then, Eivor realized Basim was not entirely unlike them. He was a man far from home, living in a new country with new people. His past was scarred, and it made him a good warrior. Eivor had felt nearly all of that in their own life. “We should bring you on as our settlement manager, you’d give Randvi a run for her money!” Eivor laughed, but their heart wasn’t behind it. All jokes aside, it would make things much less awkward in the longhouse and around the map. 

Not one to miss any subtle cues, Basim raised a brow. “Has something happened between you and Randvi?”

Eivor sighed, running a hand through their hair. “She’s just put me in a complicated situation. Actually, she put me into it several weeks ago, but I’ve been too busy to think about it until now.”

“She is in love with you.” It wasn’t a question. 

“Aye. And I told her, it was not my place. She’s my brother’s wife, I couldn’t possibly betray him like that. I feel bad for her, of course, having to do all that work while her husband disappears for years on end, but I just don’t feel for her that way. I don’t think I could.”

Basim nodded sagely. There didn’t seem to be any other way he could nod. “And now you feel guilty about it.”

“That’s the basics, yes. I know it’s not my fault, but it just makes things complicated. I wish she could’ve chosen someone else to cheat on her husband with.” Reaching into a pouch on their belt, Eivor pulled out a bottle of strong alcohol and took a swig. They offered it to Basim, but he rejected it. “I’m not going to tell Sigurd about it when we find him. I don’t think I’ll ever tell him. He’d… It wouldn’t help our relationship. I respect him too much to do that to him.”

“A wise choice. Assuming that Randvi doesn’t tell him herself.”

“I know, that’s what makes it complicated.” 

Basim seemed to think on that for a moment. “If she were not the wife of your brother, would you have accepted her offer?”

“No. Randvi’s my friend. I try not to have… one-off romances with my friends. Acquaintances, sure, but with friends it comes with too much baggage. And I know that wasn’t what she meant, but I also don’t think I could marry her, either. I hope she and I can stay friends and move past this once Sigurd gets back.” That was probably more about their personal life than Eivor had ever shared with another human being. “Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear about that.”

“I don’t mind. Hearing your stories takes my mind off of my own problems for a little while.” 

“Glad to be of help, then.”

“I cannot say I’ve ever been in a situation like yours, but I have encountered them.” Basim stared deep into the fire. “You may be doing the right thing, staying away for a while. Who knows, maybe she will change her mind.”

“I hope so.” 

Eivor was beginning to doze off, laying on the ground with their head propped up on a log, when Basim spoke again. “Eivor, would you consider me a friend?”

“Sure. I think we know each other well enough. Hel, you know me better than most by now.” Thinking back to their previous conversation, Eivor began to wonder exactly what he meant by that question. “Why?”

“Only because I am somewhat more subtle than you are, in displaying my attraction to people.” 

He certainly was, given that Eivor hadn’t noticed this until now. Basim was a man of many lingering gazes, Eivor had assumed they were all just the man studying the people around him. Though, Basim probably had no need to study Eivor’s lips quite so intently. Sitting up with their elbows on the log, Eivor quickly tried to reclaim some level of smoothness and integrity. “Really? I hadn’t noticed. Care to tell me more?”

Basim rolled his eyes, but kept amusing Eivor. “I would not have brought it up if I did not think I stood some kind of a chance. And, since you’ll fuck nearly everything that moves except for Randvi, the chance was higher than I thought.”

Eivor laughed. “You’ve got me there.”

“This rule of yours, is that established, or is it just for Randvi?”

Well, that was a sobering question. “I… It’s just for Randvi. I wanted to seem like I had some kind of standards or boundaries. Really, I just don’t want to lay with her. You, however,” Eivor sat up strategically, their legs spread enough to be inviting, “I would gladly lay.” 

“Good. Let’s get down to business, then.” Basim stood, making his way around the fire. He straddled Eivor’s waist, a hand snaking down to cup their groin as he kissed them. The sudden contact made Eivor moan into Basim’s mouth, which was almost more distracting than Basim’s surprisingly soft beard and the sensations it caused against Eivor’s face. “Were you expecting this?”

“No, but the personal questions made me wonder if it were going to be the end result of our conversation.” Never one to let their partner do all the work, Eivor gripped Basim’s tunic and pulled him into another sloppy kiss. Surprisingly enough, Basim was able to match the pace Eivor was setting, preventing the colliding of teeth while still tending to Eivor’s arousal. 

If Eivor was lucky, this would be a long night. And they had a feeling they’d be lucky.

**Author's Note:**

> saw the phrase "basimps" online a few days back and i support that. we're Basimps in this house. god i love a beard.   
> If people like this enough I'll do a smut chapter but that all depends on whether or not I can put the focus into that lmao


End file.
